Goal is away games cash

Jun 8 2008 by Pauline Holt, Sunday Sun

SOCCER-MAD players from Riverside Girls’ Football Club in Durham are on the ball when it comes to collecting for our Active campaign.

The four seven-a-side teams for girls aged 10-15 have been busy netting vouchers from family and friends in a bid to raise much-needed cash for their cause.

Secretary Sue Mudd, whose 12-year-old daughter Amy plays in the under-13s team at Durham’s Gilesgate Primary School, says they hope to get enough money from our £25,000 Active pot of cash to help pay for travel to tournaments. She said: “We’re in the Russell Foster League based in Sunderland and we travel far and wide.

“In fact, we’ve just got back from Prestatyn in Wales, where there was a tournament.”

Meanwhile, youngsters from Hartlepool-based Phoenix Funsters are cajoling everyone they meet into saving the Sunday Sun’s Active vouchers.

The Funsters were set up after a fire in March last year destroyed £30,000 of equipment at the Owton Fens Community Association farm . . . a 26-acre site at Summerhill Lane.

Now they are hoping to raise enough money to build a barn to house horses at the project.

Projects co-ordinator Leslea Jackson said: “The Funsters is made up of young people aged nine to 19 and we focus on using animals, in particular horses, to help raise the aspirations of young people suffering from social and economic disadvantage.

“Come hail, rain or shine, the kids are here helping with the animals. We’ve 12 horses, three sheep, 10 chickens, a pig called Perky and countless rabbits. It’s great for kids growing up in a town to have this taste of rural life on their doorstep.”

More than 80 clubs have joined our Active campaign, in which we are handing out £25,000 to sports organisations throughout the region.

This is the second of 20 weeks in which we will be printing tokens for you to collect and donate to the club or group which you wish to support.

IF you’d like to support the Riverside Girls FC send your tokens to Riverside FC, 11 Learmouth Court, Willington, County Durham, DL15 OFG.

To support the Phoenix Funsters send your tokens to Phoenix Funsters, OFCA, 244-246 Calcite Road, Hartlepool, TS25 3JN.

For a full list of groups taking part in your area see www.sundaysun.co.uk/active